Give them peanuts from heaven!

Jesus said some very radical words in Matthew 5:13. It is a powerful truth and it challenges us to a radical lifestyle. To be different. To make people thirsty. To leave a mark with our lives and not just disappear in the crowd unnoticed. Something should happen to the people when you are in the room. It is just how Jesus has made you. He says about you, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavour, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” (Mat 5:13)

I have read those words many times. I have heard it preached and I have preached about it myself. But today it started to speak to me once again. The Bible says that the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword….a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb 4:12). God’s word is the truth, it is sharp and it changes us constantly. God wants to remind us of who we really are as believers, as Christians. We are sent from above for a mission on this earth. God Himself has called us, equipped us and sent us out! We are ambassadors for Christ! Wherever we go, we are MADE by God to bring His power, His glory, His life to that very place.

Jesus says that we ARE the salt of this earth, but He also warns us about losing it’s power…to no be like the world and submit to everything around us. We are not to be trampled underfoot by men, but we are made to make people thirsty!!! Thirsty for what? Thirsty for the living water – for Jesus Christ!

If you give somebody a handful of salty peanuts, it won’t take long before he asks for something to drink. The bars and pubs use that trick. They serve salty peanuts for free knowing that they will soon ask for a bottle of bear or more…

Jesus knows that people need to get a taste of something before they ask for the real thing. Jesus is the only one that can satisfy people today and quench the thirst.

So be bold about who you are. You are the salt of the earth! You have what people are looking for!!! Don’t hide it away, but bring it forth. Make people thirsty and lead them to the streams of living water that never run dry!!!

Go for it! The world is waiting for what you’ve got – just a small peanut from heaven will make them thirsty 🙂

 

You are MORE than an overcomer!

It has been a while since I wrote here, but now it’s time to write some of what is on my heart! I believe it will be helpful and a great blessing to you.

You know, we all go through different seasons in our walk through life. Some of them are harder than others. Sometimes we feel like giving up. I have met many Christians that started out well with great zeal and enthusiasm, ready to conquer the world. But then something sneaked in along the way. Everything goes slower, the vision for the future has turned dim, the joy has ceased  and a heaviness overshadows them. I can speak for myself. I’ve been there! So what is this, how do we end up there, and how can we avoid it?

Of course, there can be many factors that can play a major role, but I want to lift up three areas that speaks to me. The Bibles says that, “your adversary, the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8). We have an enemy and we should not be ignorant of him, but neither should we fear him. Remember that he is the father of lies and no truth abides in him. He wants you to believe that his lies are the truth. But you need to know the God’s truth to reveal the lies of the enemy!

1) The devils  goal is the make you believe that you are not qualified, that you don’t have what it takes to do what God has called you to do. If he can get your eyes on yourself and your ability/limitations and off of Jesus and His ability/greatness in you, then the devil has got a good bite and you. But the truth is:

– You are more than an overcomer! Rom 8, 37
– You are anointed and qualified! 1 John 2:20; 4:4; 5:4
– You can do more than you can even imagine or pray for! Eph. 3:20
– The very same life, same power, the same substance that Jesus possesses today, you are a possessor of right now! You have what it takes to represent God on this earth!!! He abides in you forever! John 14:12; 15:4-5 Rom 8:11; Eph 1:3; 1:22,23; Col 1:27 and the list goes on!

2) The devil wants to make you to think that things are for the future, but NOT for today! He wants you to think, “One day…then maybe I can lay hands on the sick, or see a breakthrough finacially…but not today. No, today it’s not possible. I need to wait…at least for a while.”

– The devil is afraid to death of believers that think that the impossible can happen TODAY! Believers that take the Word of God for what it is and dare to step out and believe God!
– In Exodus 3:14 The Lord introduces Himself as I AM (not I was, or I am going to be…) Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2). He is the same yesterday, TODAY, and forever (Heb 13:8).
– Behold, NOW is the day of salvation, today is the day of action! (2 Cor 6:2)
– Jesus tells us to act today, not to wait for tomorrow (John 4:35).
– Jesus is moving, are you? He asks you to follow him…to walk on His Word! Let us leave our excuses behind and go for it! Let us be a nightmare for the devil and make history with our lives, to make a mark in this world (Mat. 4:19; Luke 9:60).

3) If the devil can get you to look backwards instead of forward, he has achieved the goal to slow you down and steal the power away from you. Smith Wigglesworth said, “Never look back if you want the power of God in your life!”
– Paul said, “but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press towards the goal…” (Phil. 3:13b,14a)
– The Bible teaches us that by looking back it will limit us, it will slow us down! (Gen. 19:26)
– Let us look to Jesus and don’t get distracted! (Col 3:2; Heb 12:2)
– Don’t let sin and guilt from the past destroy your future. Don’t allow condemnation in your life! (Rom 8:1). One said, “It’s terrible how many good days that are destroy because of what happened yesterday.” Have you sin in your life, then come before God with boldness, confess it and let the blood of Jesus forgive you and cleanse you! But then you MUST also forgive yourself, learn from it, turn away from it and move on! Don’t allow the enemy remind you of things that God has forgotten and wiped out!!!

Dear friends, our lives is a gift from God. Don’t allow the enemy to touch that gift nor to steal, kill and destroy it. “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Prov. 4:23 NLT)

Never forget that in and through Christ YOU ARE MORE THEN AN OVERCOMER!!! You are anointed and appointed to bring heaven on earth and to do the impossible. All to the glory of our God!

Is the future really that good?

 

As I entered 2014 I was filled with enthusasim and excitement, and I boldly declared, “this year is going to be the best year in my entire life!!” It might sound childlike and naive to some, but let me share why I have such a strong confidence about the future. We live in a negative world and we’re surround with pessimism. It’s easier to stay negative and skeptical, than to stay positive and openhearted. It takes some guts to live a life on the positive side while the wave of nagativism is constantly trying to pull you down. One said; “life is too short to get serious…”, and I agree! Of course I know that life sometimes can hit you like a train and situations come along your way that you would avoid if you could. So then, is the future really that good? And the answer is: YES!!!!!!

David write in one of his psalms, “I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope.” (Ps. 16:8,9)

I have steped into this year with a strong faith in a powerful God! I have set my eyes on him, my Lord is always before me. He takes the lead and he shows the way. He is my Shepherd and I follow Him. Yes, there are battles, there are situations that are rough and sometimes try to pull you down, but guess what?! My God is at my right hand and I shall NOT be moved! The devil and all his demons can try to steal, kill and destroy me…but no weapon formed against me shall prosper! When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him! (Is. 54:17; 59:19)

Therefore my heart is glad! I go forth with a shout of triumph. My flesh, my body, my life rests completly in hope! So the future is good, and this year I truly believe is going to be the best year ever!

Fire of Changes!

Tomorrow it starts! Finally we are going to have “Fire of Changes” in Norway. 12 hours day of worship!

Last year I attended “Fire of Changes” in Gøteborg, lead by “The House” (Ulf, Philip and Alexander Christiansson) and Rick Pino! It was so radical and powerful, and I was thinking, “this is what we need in Norway”. One year later, Zoé Church is arranging this event and is inviting different churches in the region of Østfold, Norway! We have a desire to see the people of God from different churches come together to worship the living GOD! Tomorrow we will use the location of Filadelfia Sarpsborg and worship from 12 am to 12pm! “The House” from Gøteborg will come, and Harald Høidahl, the worship-groups Divine and LIFE-song. It will be glories!!!

God is calling for His people to seek Him and to lay down their own lives. Jesus says in John 4:23, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Yes, now is the time, not to wonder around in a passive mode, but to step out in faith and believe that God is on the move in this hour! God is seeking for those who is seeking for Him, who share the same heart – worshipers in spirit and truth!

We have heard much prophecies and great words for our city, our region and our country! And I believe God is really speaking, I believe that God want to encourage us, but also to wake us up! Many of us are sleeping, but God wants us to wake up from our dreams and step into reality! The reality is that God is alive in 2013, and He hasn’t changed! He is still Almighty, with all the power in heaven and on earth. He is the same God who led Abraham to do the impossible, the same God who delivered the Israelites out of slavery, the same God who filled the Temple in Jerusalem with His glory! For God nothing is impossible, absolutely nothing!

It is written, “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” 2 Cor. 6:16.

Yes, I believe in revival, and I believe we won’t make it unless we get revival in our land! But it starts with the people of God. We, you and I,  need to experience a true revival in our own lives, and turn from being lukewarm into flames of fire! I believe that the fire of God is burning in the church and that the revival is a reality right now! I believe that those whose flame is burning can experience an increase and stronger intensity of fire in their lives!  Some are half-dead spiritually, but I also believe new life and resurrection power can rise many up. I also believe that the fire will burn the strongest when the people of God come together and are joining arms. We have one purpose – to seek God’s face and to bring His presence, life and power to this lost and dying world!

When we come into His presence, then the true changes start to take place. Our perspective changes. From the place of prayer and worship we see things from God’s point of view! Instead of pointing at all our weakness, mistakes and difference we start to love each other in a new way and we start to respect and honor each other! We understand that we need eachother in order to fulfill everything God has called us to do! If we want to see true revival and a harvest in our city, region and country -then we need to join forces, we need to rise up as one body -and to shine of His glory!

I believe the time will come, and the time is NOW, where we will see the spirit of God move in ways we have never seen before! Where the spirit of God not only will move inside the four walls of the church, but that the spirit of God will touch this whole generations in a mighty way! But it won’t just happen like that. We need to cooperate with God, we need to share the same desire that God has. We need to connect with what He is doing in this day and our. We need to seek His face and cry out to Him for a move of God in our land!

Lord, let Your fire burn with more intensity, and let the fire change us first and then let the fire spread in our churches, in our cities and in our country and around the world! Jesus, we thank you for your wonderful work and that you are calling us to be a part of it! Amen

What about holiness?

Holiness. Perfection. Those words you find in many of the world religions. The Buddhist monks in a temple in Tibet and the sunni muslim on a pilgrimage to Mekka – they are striving after pleasing their god, to live up to the standard of their religion.

The Apostle Peter writes, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1Pet1:15,16). 

The reformer, Martin Luther, was also a monk. A Catholic monk. He was striving for perfection. Sometimes he was beating himself. He was fighting against himself, against the devil, the sin and temptations. He tried hard, but fail again, again. But one day his life changed. He saw things in a total different way. While studying the bible he eyes came across the passage from Rom 1:17 which says, “…The just shall live by faith.” Those words hit him as lightening from heaven! There it was! It all made sense! God revealed to him how a Christian should live, totally different than in any other religion!

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:8-10)

It’s by grace…through faith. That’s how it starts in your life, that’s how it continues and that’s how it ends. By grace, through faith. It’s all the work of God, and not of our works, lest anyone should boast! GRACE! Oh, what a beautiful word, and what a powerful word! If we leave this word out, we leave out the main person, Jesus Christ!!! Because grace is nothing but a person. “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.“ (John 1:16,17)

Jesus Christ is grace, He is truth, yes, He is the way and the life! He is everything, He is the goodness of God himself, He is God!

So what about holiness??! “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”  How is that possible? The secret lays in what Paul writes in Eph 2, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” God has taken the whole initiative from the beginning to the end…by grace! Grace is God’s unmerited favor toward us. We are His workmanship, made holy, perfect and acceptable to Him. He recreated us and placed us IN CHRIST. He placed us IN GRACE. He plugged us straight into the power source of holiness!!! From that place of grace in which we stand, we are more than able and qualified to live a life of holiness. This is a life of grace through faith. That’s how it started with you, that’s how it will continue with you and that’s how it will to end. There’s no other way!  So let our lives reflect heaven here on earth, let God shine forth through us with His glory and power! Amen

There is always a way out!

Psalm 119:114 says, “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your Word.”

When King David writes this psalm he is probably threatened by enemies around him. In the natural there seemed to be no way out. He was pushed on each side with the feeling of being left alone. David found no strength in himself or his own army. There was only one place to go and that was to the Lord. There he found a hiding place and a shield for protection. He put his trust in His word. The Word of God was the only thing he could hold on to. When all hope was lost, David found hope in God’s Word!

Sometimes in life there are things coming against you that can knock you out. It can soak all the energy out of you. But things ought not to be this way. God is sovereign and full of power! There is absolutely no circumstance in your life that is strong enough to pull you down. God has always the power available for you to lift you up and lead you out in GREAT victory! So be strong in the midst of hardships and put your hope in the Lord. He will fight for you and give you a breakthrough. Just draw near to the Lord and be in His Word. That’s all you need no matter what!

Wait on the Lord…

“Wait on the Lord…” Those words came to me some days ago while I was praying. You’ll find those words over and over again throughout the Bible. On instance is in Psalm 27:14,

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage,
and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

Our human nature doesn’t want to wait. We want action, we want results and we want it NOW!  This is especially true in our McDonald’s age. We are in a hurry and we want speed results within a short period of time…But God says in His word, “Wait on the Lord…” I like that!!! God wants us to enter another dimention where we look to Him and trust Him. It’s a walk by faith and not by sight.

Of course, we have our part to play. We are not called to be passive and lazy. When Moses stood before the Red Sea to cross over it, he told the israelites, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” It was partly true, but God had to correct Moses. The Lord said to Him, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.

In that case, the Lord told Moses to take a step of faith by raising the staff and stretching out his hand over the sea. That was the dooropener for the power of God to flow and to save the people of Israel that day.

God has always a way of delieverance for you. The question is, do you trust in Him and are you willing to give room for God to operate in your life and in your circumstance?

I my case these resent days I have been standing in a challenge. I have tried to work it out the best I could. I have worked overtime in my own strength, but in the end I’ve realised one thing…just wait on the Lord. When Jesus enters the stage things start to change. He knows my situation and He knows excactly what needs to be done. He has the solution and the power and ability to bring it to pass!

When you let go of yourself you welcome God to take over in your life. He then starts to move on people’s heart, he start to change circumstances to your benefit. He fight the battle and leads you into victory.

What a God we serve, who loves us so much and cares for us! We serve a good God and He is for us and not against us. So rejoice! Rejoice in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart!!! Wait on the Lord and but your trust in Him! Amen.

Cast all your cares upon the Lord

While we’re walking through life, there are thousands of reason to start worrying and get anxious about this and that. Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. So each day of our lives gives us plenty of opportunities to worry.

“How will it be? What will be the solution? What shall I do? What happens if…and what happens if not…?” These are just some of the thoughts that can enter our mind and bring us into a mode of anxiety.

The Bibles is very clear on how to respond to those worries we’re facing! “Therefore humble yourselves und the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Pet 5:6,7)

What a powerful scripture! What a promise to hold on to and put our faith in. God has promised that He will NEVER leave us, nor forsake us! He is with us and not against us. This verse tells us that He cares for you. He actually cares for you and your concerns, and He wants you to come to Him with all of it. He is ready to receive ALL YOUR CARE….if you are willing to cast it upon Him.

If you look at the scripture I referred you see that it is more of a command than a suggestion. The Bibles tells us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. Sometimes it very humbling to let go of your worries, because when you do you let go of yourself. You surrender to God and put all your trust in the Lord, that He will bring it to pass. Your strength, your ability to solve the problems is not the case anymore, because the mighty hand of God will take care of the problem. “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” Ps 37:5.

Oh, what an ease and joy that surrender us when we come to that place. We are like a little boy fully trusting his father. There’s no questions anymore. It will be alright, my heavenly Father will take care of it. I know that He is more than able and willing to take care of me and my problem – every second of my life! And what He does is exceedingly abundantly about all that we ask or think!

In His Presence…

In His presence everything changes. Quality time with God is always life-changing. This evening I combined a jogging trip with a prayertime with God. It’s nothing like walking (after some jogging) in the  forrest and just upen your heart before the Lord, pray in the spirit, mediate on His Word, listen to His voice…then pray some more. As time goes by your heart is stirred up, it softens up and the spirit of God is taking over!

One said that prayer in your Christian life is like lungs to your body. Without lungs you can not breath. Without a prayer-life you can not survive as a Christian. But as you spend time with God your spirit is in control in your life. You are connecting with God and His power is flowing in and through your life! In that place you are strong, fresh, full of joy and life. That’s the place where you will CONSTANTLY bear much fruit and grow and grow! There are NO ENDS to what you can experience with God, because in His presence hang the keys to unlock every door…available for you if you want them!;)

Yesterday – 17th of May

Yesterday we celebrated the constitution day of Norway! We celebrate that we got our constitution in 1814. Even though we were still under Sweden up to 1905 we lived more or less independent. It is a big day in Norway. People are dressed up, gathered in every streetcorner with the Norwegian flag raised to the top! It’s a beautiful day!

We should never take our freedom for granted! Norway is BLESSED by God, and today we reap the harvest of our forefathers who were fighting for our freedom, those who built this country with God as their source.

I feel very privilege to be born in Norway and I don’t take any of it for granted. I thank Jesus Christ on this day and I pray that God will have mercy for this nation and protect it in the years to come! I pray for an awakening in Norway, that the norwegian people will turn back to God.

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Tim 2:1-4